There are many versions of personal traction devices that can be mounted to shoes, boots, or the like, for increasing traction when walking on ice or snow-covered surfaces.
Such devices often include stretchable mounting straps that are configured to grasp the toe and heel portions of the boot. The traction mechanisms are connected to the straps and may be in the form of chains, flexible material with embedded metal studs, or other material with roughened or irregular surfaces that extend across the sole of the boot, usually in the vicinity of the sole that underlies the heel and metatarsal portion of the foot.
A number of factors must be considered when designing such traction devices. For example, some mechanisms that provide very good traction, such as outwardly projecting metal spikes, may suffer from rapid wear or be uncomfortable to walk on for a length of time, especially when one is in an environment where the walking surface may change between dry, hard surfaces and icy or snow-packed surfaces. Also, it is difficult to durably mount metallic members, such as spikes or studs, to a flexible cross strap or the like. To this end, some designs provide for replacing dislodged or worn spikes, which necessarily increases the cost and complexity of the device.
Some mechanisms that extend across the sole of the shoe or boot, such as relatively low-profile chains or coiled spring-like members may be more comfortable to the user, but they typically have less aggressive traction characteristics.
The present invention is directed to a personal traction device that provides a traction mechanism that is very comfortable underfoot, while providing excellent traction over slippery surfaces as well as excellent long-term wear.